Conflict of Interest

What is a Conflict of Interest?

Conflicts of interest arise when two activities interact such that professional
judgment in one may be, or may seem to be, influenced by the other. One
example of a conflict of interest is a professor who conducts research on
the genetic bases for breast cancer and who owns a company that develops
and sells laboratory tests to identify genetic sequences linked to breast
cancer. Because of a close connection between research and entrepreneurial
activities, it is hard to imagine that the professor wouldn't have ideas
for his company based on his research and that the direction of research
couldn’t be influenced by company priorities.

Importantly, conflicts of interest:

• represent a state of affairs, not behavior;
• are common and often unavoidable;
• frequently involve perceptions; and
• are judged by others, not by those directly involved.

The interaction between research and significant financial interests,
including compensation over $5000, ownership, or leadership positions
with outside organizations, is a primary conflict of interest of concern
in research ethics. Many people recognize money, or the ability to benefit
financially, as a potent motivator. It is also easily understood, easily
quantified and, unlike many other activities of scholars, discretionary.
An overlap between financial interests and research may affect, or appear
to affect, the design, conduct, or reporting of research.

A potential conflict of interest between two activities does not mean
that either is inappropriate. Universities often encourage researchers
to engage in activities that will make research results rapidly available
to the public, including entrepreneurship.

What can I do about Conflicts of Interest?

When an actual conflict of interest, or the perception of one, exists,
researchers can chose to eliminate or manage it. For example, a conflict
of interest created by conducting a clinical trial on a drug and, at the
same time, receiving substantial compensation as a speaker for a company
with a major competing product could be eliminated by not accepting speaking
engagements.

A common method to manage conflicts of interest is to disclose them.
For example, an engineer who has started a company based on technology
developed in her laboratory might disclose the ownership of the company
when publishing on the technology in professional journals. Beyond disclosing
in publications, disclosure to colleagues—other faculty, students,
or staff with whom a researcher works—and to participants in clinical
research is becoming more common. Disclosures allow people to assess the
information provided by a professional in light of the financial interest.

In addition to disclosure, other strategies for managing conflicts of
interest include recusing one’s self from decisions that would involve
both research activities and the financial interest, deciding not to engage
in certain activities where the two overlap, or having colleagues provide
oversight.

What Rules Apply at the UW-Madison?

State and University policies require annual disclosures of outside activities
from faculty members, academic staff, and principal or co-investigators
on federal grants or human subjects protocols. Federal policies require
the University to eliminate, minimize, or manage any potential or actual
conflicts of interest between an investigator's federally funded research
and significant financial interests that might reasonably appear to affect,
or be affected by, the federally funded work. The Conflict of Interest
Committee oversees the annual disclosure process and review of disclosures
to meet those obligations. For further information on the committee’s
activities, see the UW-Madison's
Conflict of Interest website.